Ninja Fantasy
by Outkast000
Summary: Luck, although mostly leaning in favor of Naruto Namikaze, doesn't always play for him. No, it landed him in the middle of some unknown world that shared few similarities with the Shinobi Continent. But, in the end, it didn't matter as long as he had her.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer; I don't own Naruto or Final Fantasy VII...

Er... well, considering that I've had more free time compared to what I'm used to, I've decided to occupy myself with writing and that thought lead to, well, the story that you're currently reading!

So, I hope that you'll enjoy the chapter. Don't, and I repeat _don't_, refrain from telling me the mistakes I've made or I'll never get the chance to improve my writing. However, that doesn't mean that I'll accept flames.

By the way, don't forget to review!

* * *

Prologue

Damn... as luck would have it, he'd been dealt the worst possible fate he'd probably been able to imagine. Sure, he'd learned to use the power of the Kyuubi despite the setbacks that came with it, and sure he'd succeeded in the endeavor of defeating the Immortal Madara alongside the traitorous Sasuke... but he'd failed to defeat the worst of the enemies; Kabuto. In the "final battle", the silver-haired man had used one of the Ninjutsu created by the Snake Sannin to rid himself of the Uzumaki permanently, although the technique could only get used once per user.

He'd transported the blonde-haired teenager from that dimension to another one, another trait of the Jutsu being that he'd never have the capability of returning!

But at the current point in time, it didn't really matter to him as he'd been placed somewhere almost completely unlike the place he'd left. That, in itself, wasn't surprising after someone took into consideration the category it belonged in; Space and Time. Unfortunately, there wasn't that many similarities between the Shinobi Continent and "Gaia" as he'd rather quickly discovered almost two weeks from the point of arrival.

Truthfully, the only thing that they seemed to have in common was the fact that they both had Ninja in them, although they didn't quite use the same abilities as one another. 'Course, they had boats and they shared the same language, but he'd pegged that as something that most other dimensions possessed.

Monsters that people called "Fiends" roamed the countryside, large and strangely colored birds being used for transportation across the continent, orb-shaped objects that allowed people the ability to use "Magic", and the fact that people seemed to use the Planets energy instead of natural resources.

Actually, most of that didn't sound too strange if he'd bothered to stop and think about it for several minutes. Outside of using the Planet for energy and the birds that looked more like the love child of horses and chickens, everything else looked pretty normal. Nevermind, he'd forgotten to mention the large distance in technological advancement that the new place had compared to the Shinobi Continent, as the dimension he'd landed in had already begun to consider traveling the stars themselves!

Still, the fact of the matter was that he just wasn't used to the new surroundings, but that would change with time as he'd quickly discovered.

One, only one bonus that came out of the event was the fact he'd no longer have to deal with the Akatsuki. But, the multiple faults that came with the small prize far outweighed it. He missed the people back in Konohagakure, missed the ramen from Ichiraku Ramen Bar... and hated himself for the simple fact that he'd never be there for anything. No. Everyone he'd known would live together, they would laugh together, and they would die together.

But not him. He wouldn't be there, not for Hinata and Kiba's wedding or for delivery of Kakashi-Sensei and Ayame's first child together. Nothing.

In the beginning, he'd beat himself up over that particular piece of knowledge but had slowly come to accept it. After all, it wasn't possible to change the past once it happened, right?

Utilizing that fact, that little insignificant chunk of information, he'd finally decided to carve himself another life in that dimension from scratch.

* * *

Naruto Namikaze, the Hero of the Fourth Great Shinobi World War looked up at the rather heavily defended building that currently sat in front of him without the slightest corner untouched by guards. It looked almost impossible to break into the place without some form of battle happening, something he'd wished to avoid for the most part.

Sighing, the blonde moved toward the front door of the place and raised both arms into the air the second he'd heard the clicking of the firearms being released from the safety mode, taking note of the fact that only several used the modern weaponry whilst others relayed upon the shuriken and bows of the past. Interesting.

Stopping, he'd watched as one of the soldiers approached him without the slightest amount of humor being present in the man's expression; "Identification?"

Damn, was the Namikaze ever thankful he'd learned to forge documents during the time he'd spent training with Jiraiya, as that had saved him in that second as he'd nodded toward the back pocket of the pants he'd worn. After having arrived in the new dimension and coming to terms with the idea of never being able to return to the Shinobi Continent, he'd took steps to make a new life for himself in Gaia. Document had been forged, modern clothing had been purchased, and several other things he'd believed would help him blend in with the native people.

Currently, he'd worn a shirt that was dark blue in color with the sleeves ending at the mid-forearm, exposing the four or five black thread braclets that he'd worn on either wrist for storing Materia. Aside from that, he'd also worn dark gray jeans with the design of Bahamut SIN resting on the right pant leg. Both of the pant legs partially covered the low-top sneakers that he'd personally picked out, black as the darkest night and bright white tribal symbols marking up the sides from the sole of the shoes.

Thankfully, he'd managed to find _something_ orange in the store. Namely, the goggles hanging around the neck area, something he'd frequently used for traveling via Chocobo to keep the wind from bothering him, or the times he'd went swimming, or even the times he'd landed himself in the desert and needed to keep the sand from blinding him.

He'd ignored the slightly nervous feeling that bothered him with having that many firearms and projectiles pointed at him, focusing on the expression of the soldier nearest to him as he'd removed the papers. Eventually, as the atmosphere had reached the utmost uncomfortable level, the man had returned the papers and gestured for him to continue walking; "Please, enjoy your stay in Wutai, Mister Namikaze."

Nodding, the Shinobi didn't waste time in leaving the general area, passing through the entrance of the settlement without the slightest complaint from one of the other soldiers. Good, none of them had tried saying something sarcastic about being related to Chocobo's. It really bothered him that people compared him to the large creatures because of the hair style he'd inherited from the Fourth Hokage; Minato Namikaze.

Naruto finally stopped in the middle of the pathway, cerulean-colored eyes looking for something in particular in the surrounding area.

It had taken him the least of four seconds to spot the very thing he'd been looking for, taking note as the Leader of Wutai moved toward the large pagoda that overlooked the village. Hell didn't describe the amount of difficulty it was to collect information on the man, let alone the more detailed pieces of information that he'd sought after.

After all, he'd need to know the physical appearance of the man to seek him out, otherwise it'd take him longer to find him and that simply wouldn't do in the mind of the former Konohagakure-Nin. Impatience looked like one of the many faults of the teenager, one that many knew about right off the bat just by looking at him.

He'd looked around the place for someone that might notice him before disappearing in the signature swirl of leaves that meant he'd used the Shunshin no Jutsu, appearing atop of the pagoda he'd seen in the distance. It'd take the traveling party awhile to reach the entrance, leaving him time to break into the place and prepare in case things turned sour as they usually did for him.

* * *

Godo Kisaragi, one of the most feared fighters that lived on that continent, walked through the doors of the pagoda without the slightest hesitation and paused in the doorway. Instinct, trained from years of battle and the training he'd put himself through in years long past, screamed at him that something wasn't right with that scene.

Something had happened since he'd left the building earlier that day, something that could prove harmful to both him and the teenage daughter he'd fought hard to raise, something that he'd have to keep from disturbing the peace. He'd see in time, as not everything meant harm toward him and the people of Wutai like the Shinra Electric Power Company.

He'd waited for several more minutes to see if anything or anyone would interrupt the peace and quiet before releasing the utmost silent of sighs, walking toward the kitchen with the grace that most could easily associate with the Ninja of the world. Godo opened the fridge in the building - something that Yuffie had to fight hard to convince him to get - and removed the chilled sake bottle that he'd kept in the back, eyes watching it almost intently.

In the mind of the aging man, he'd deserved that small treat with the amount of stress that he'd dealt with for the day. Slipping onto one of the chairs at the nearby table after removing two cups from the cabinet, he'd filled both almost halfway and moved one of them to the opposite side of the table.

Nothing. Not even the faintest surprise had shown in the elderly man's gaze as he'd noticed the blonde-haired teenager that emerged from the shadows of the room, sitting in the chair and nodding in gratitude as he'd accepted the alcohol. It solidified the belief that something hadn't been right, but it wasn't completely wrong either because the unidentified person hadn't tried anything remotely harmful to him or the other people in the pagoda.

"So... may I ask why the sudden appearance, or for your name and reason for being here?" the Kisaragi almost seemed bored as he'd asked the question, sipping at the sake he'd poured himself.

He looked toward him with amusement, clearly having found that tone of voice funny or at least humorous as he'd answered; "I just wanted to drop by in Wutai to see if the rumors were true, and my names Naruto Namikaze."

Godo nodded faintly with respect, although not exactly ignoring the faint suspicion he'd felt as he'd surveyed the strange teenager, "Can I ask what that rumor might be?"

Silence. Peaceful, but stressful as it signified the stranger had started to think about whether or not to dignify the question with some type of response. It looked like he'd agreed with the idea as he'd spoken, "I wanted to see if I wasn't the only Ninja in the world, Lord Kisaragi."

That, although initially surprising, had easily caught the attention of the man as he'd sipped at the alcohol, "Interesting. But, if I may ask, are you truly skilled in the arts as you've clearly claimed?"

He'd almost _fekt_ the Lifestream flow through the room, chilling the area as the blonde had completely disappeared into the shadows of the setting sun. It unnerved the man as he'd surveyed the room for any trace of the stranger before pausing abruptly, feeling the cold touch of steel touching the jugular in his neck.

"Is that enough proof, Lord Kisaragi?" came the equally cold question.

Nodding, the teenager had reversed almost entirely back into the personality he'd used prior to the display of skill as he'd sat in the chair and polished off the last of the sake. Godo stared at him with curiousity, no longer ignoring the possibility that the boy might have training in the Arts and outright believing them with that little show, although not comfortable with having been threatened that casually.

Still, it served its purpose and they could finally reach the heart of the reason the Shinobi had come here, "So, Mister Namikaze... why have you come here, and not somewhere like Midgar that could pay for your talents?"

Naruto looked toward him with calm cerulean-colored eyes that many wouldn't associate with the past version of himself, "I'm here looking for some place to stay, somewhere that won't hound me to use my abilities for they're own benefit."

Reasonable. Godo couldn't deny that much as he'd smiled politely, nodding in the affirmative as he'd replied, "Yes, I do believe that we'll work something out for you. However, might I request something in return for living here?"

He'd watched without the slightest complaint as the Namikaze had shrugged, stating that wasn't any sort of problem for him as long as he'd get somewhere to live in the end.

Even Leviathan would have been surprised by the request the aging leader had in mind, "I'd like for you to court my daughter, Mister Namikaze."

* * *

Naruto Namikaze stared at the leader in front of him as though that very person had said he'd slept with Tsunade Senju, someone he'd viewed as the grandmother he'd never had the pleasure of having when he'd grown up in Konohagakure. It just didn't happen!

It appeared that the expression he'd made at the question had been enough for the other to understand and feel the need to clarify, "Wutai hasn't had a female ruler since its founding days, and she hadn't been the true leader. She, as much as I've managed to learn, had been turned into the figure head with the council controlling her actions from behind the scene. In the end, it nearly tore the country apart from the inside out as it made numerous enemies out of the neighboring civilizations."

Ah... now it began to make sense as he'd continued; "I fear that my daughter might fall into that same situation, should she remain single by the time I've passed away and it comes time for her to succeed me as the ruler. However, I believe that you have the ability to change that little problem for me."

Blinking, the teenager nodded in complete understanding as he'd replied in kind, "I could see the logic behind that, but why pick me of all people? I just showed up out of the blue, you don't even know me!"

"I know it probably wouldn't make too much sense to someone that doesn't follow the same religion, but Leviathan trusts you," the Kisaragi paused long enough to guess the question bothering the teenager, "I know that because of _this_."

Slowly, he'd reached into his robe and removed something from the sleeve, placing it onto the table and shocking the only other person in the room beyond belief. For sitting in front of him, judging by the crimson glow that radiated from the sphere, was the Summoning Materia for Leviathan.

Godo continued not that long following the revelation, "I've held that Materia since the day I'd succeeded my father, making it almost three decades. In that time, I've established some type of connection with it that allows me to feel the emotions of the creature trapped inside."

It amazed him that something like that could happen, as he'd previously thought it impossible after having learned about Materia from some traveling Merchant. He'd ended up stealing the ones the man had on him after he'd fallen asleep later that day, leaving him the new owner of "Fire" and "Shield".

Still, he'd reminded himself, stranger things had happened as he'd proved himself by being the unlikely host of one of the strongest demons in the history of the Shinobi Continent. Only the Juubi, something he'd heard about from the Immortal Uchiha, could trump the Nine-Tails in power.

Sighing, the blonde looked outside of the window as he'd offered one last form of resistance, "I'll try... but what if things don't work out between me and her?"

He'd heard the shifting of the man sitting in front of him as he quietly sipped the alcohol in thought, "If that happens, I don't expect you to do anything. You'll keep the living arrangements I'd made, and I'll have to find another way to keep that from happening."

Naruto frowned slightly as he'd responded, "Just like that?"

Silence.

It had started becoming rather uncomfortable for him and he'd moved to leave, but he'd heard the reply of the Kisaragi the second he'd stood up, "Just like that."

Damn. Pausing, the blonde looked back toward the aging man with the slightest hint of curiousity, "Alright. I've only got one thing left to ask; do you know the current location of the Princess?"

Godo felt the slightest amount of happiness at that, believing that he just might have found someone that could help Yuffie.

* * *

Naruto blinked, almost surprised by the scene in front of him as he'd compared it to something he'd never quite seen before... at least, not in the Shinobi Continents. He'd received multiple reports from spies that the Wutai Leader had stationed around the Planet, and most of them suggested that the sixteen-year old had been in the area at least once in the last month.

'Course, that didn't bother him as it didn't really dictate her current location, but he'd lucked out in the end as the latest report hinted toward the next destination that she'd had in mind.

Gold Saucer.

Shinra Electric Power Company built the amusement park on the ruins of Corel, or at least that had been the rumor circulating around the area in North Corel. He'd also learned that the outcast that arose from aforementioned occasion, the one that seemed to have been the cause of the event, had been someone called Barret.

If he'd been honest to himself, the Namikaze could openly admit that it didn't matter to him as it didn't directly concern him as he'd yet to land himself in the dimension at that point in time. 'Course, that didn't mean that it wasn't significant as the renegade AVALANCHE group wouldn't have one of their members otherwise.

Yes, he'd learned the name of the group and had even managed to collect some information about the others from the places he'd visited.

Barret Wallace, the outcast of Corel as he'd previously mentioned and the "founder" of the unlikely team. Cloud Strife, former SOLDIER and the apparent leader of the bunch, deserting the company sometime following the promotion to First-Class. Aerith Gainsborough, last surviving Cetra on the entirety of the Planet and the one person that Shinra hounded for in the pursuit of the "Promised Land".

Tifa Lockhart, owner of the Seventh Heaven bar and one of three survivors of the Nibelheim Incident that had included the Strife and Sephiroth. Nanaki, one of the few remaining members of the race that began in the Cosmo Canyon and previous test subject of the company.

Vincent Valentine, ex-Turk and one of the best Gun-Slingers that Gaia had seen, easily beating the likes of Barret in the firearm department as many already knew... and Cid Highwind, former employee of Shinra Electric Power Company and one of the best Pilots that someone could meet, especially considering he'd been handpicked to launch on the Shinra No. Twenty-Six.

AVALANCHE, as he'd come to believe, had the most likely chance of succeeding in the effort of saving the Planet from the likes of Sephiroth and Rufus Shinra.

Sighing, the blonde moved through the overpopulated crowd as he'd made tracks for the Ghost Square, intending to sleep for the next few hours considering the sun had already disappeared behind the horizon and he'd heavily doubted that the seven individuals he'd previously thought about might entertain the idea of traveling at night.

Thankfully, he'd remembered to exchange at least half of the Gil he'd been carrying into Gold Points or he'd never have the chance to rent the room in the first place! Chuckling, the teenager walked past the front desk after having paid and immediately dropped onto the bed, not bothering to lock the door as he'd been taken to the realm of dreams.

* * *

Naruto found himself pulled from sleep and back into reality by the sounds of someone trying to look for something... in the same _room_ as him, and he'd heard the occasional mention of "Materia". Alone, that caused enough red flags to rise in mind as he'd frowned inwardly, pretending to sleep as the unknown intruder continued looking.

However, the person couldn't or rather _wouldn't_ find them as he'd kept them stored inside the bracelets at almost all times, the slightest paranoia telling him that someone or something might try to steal them like in the situation happening in the present moment. In the right, he'd stored Mastered Fire Materia and in the left, he'd stored the Mastered Shield Materia. He had entertained the idea of buying or locating more Materia, but had finally decided to just stick with the ones he'd already had until he'd finished mastering them.

It'd taken him until last month to finish training them, and the perks of doing it had already showed as the Fire Materia did increased amounts of damage compared to before and the Shield Materia took more damage and lasted longer by about five or six minutes.

Wait!

Did the intruder just touch him? Yes, they did considering the way the person had gently moved their hands over him in search of the magical orbs that they were looking for... damn, that did _not_ sound right in the slightest.

He'd remained motionless and patiently waited for the stranger to get closer before he'd sprang into movement, the blankets flying from the bed as he'd moved fast enough that most civilians couldn't keep track of him. Before the person had known it, he'd pulled both of their arms behind them and pressed one knee into their back to discourage movement, cerulean-colored eyes positively glowing with the power of Chakra.

But, it'd only taken him seconds to recognize the person he'd "captured", taking in the appearance that he'd been briefed about earlier the day before.

They were undeniably female, as he'd noticed the still developing body of the person held beneath him. She had short black hair and beautiful amethyst eyes, although they were filled with rather obvious dislike as they looked back at him, although the blonde didn't really care.

Otherwise, she wore a white headband with a greaan, sleeveless turtleneck jumper that left her stomach without cover and a pair of tan shorts without a belt, the fly unbuttoned and unzipped. Covering the left arm the raven wore a protective gauntlet that originated from a single pauldron over her shoulder, presumably meant to also act as a shield in combat. Her gauntlet was held inplacy by a strap tied across her chest and around her back.

Typical Ninja-mail mesh covered part of her right arm and left leg, as well as an additional piece of armoer that covered the rest of the thigh of that leg. She also wore a smaller wrist-covering gauntlet on her right arm, with both of her hands covered in orange, fingerless gloves that matched with her orange sneakers and white leg warmers.

"Yuffie," came the unexpected response as he'd released her and backed off, "I figured that you'd arrive here at some point, just not that soon."

Blinking in confusion, the Kunoichi stood properly as she'd asked innocently; "Do I know you or something?"

"No, not really, I've heard rumors about you," she didn't need to know about the request from her father, "I'm Naruto Namikaze, and it's nice to meet you, the Single White Rose of Wutai."

She had practically grinned in pride as she'd nodded happily, "Sweet!"

Naruto didn't look surprised as she'd turned sheepish at the end, "Sorry about trying to steal your Materia, Mister Namikaze."

"I don't mind, but I'd like to ask something of you for compensation... like to hear what I have in mind?" the Kisaragi looked hesitant as she didn't like to apologize if it considered Materia. But, considering that he'd rather easily captured her, there wasn't that many options left open to her in that case.

* * *

He'd found out that Yuffie had joined AVALANCHE sometime in the past month, traveling together and making friends with them as they fought to keep the Planet from dying. 'Course, the reason behind joining had been to steal _their_ Materia and return to Wutai successful in the endeavor, although that part he'd managed to find out himself considering the way that they had met and the reports he'd read about her travels.

The Namikaze had also found out that they had stopped at the Gold Saucer for some rest as they looked for Sephiroth or something along that line of thought, although they turned the day into just enjoying themselves and temporarily forgetting the troubles that they had been facing.

Cloud Strife had left alongside Aerith Gainsborough to spend time together, Cid Highwind and Barret Wallace had left for the Chocobo Square to gamble, Vincent Valentine and Tifa Lockhart had left for the Wonder Square to have fun since the others had left and that left the Kisaragi by herself. She had been the newest addition to the team and they had forgotten her for the night, or he'd thought as much considering the Festival he'd attended alongside the rest of Team Seven where the same thing had happened.

So, he'd finally decided to do something that helped fulfill the request left by Godo and helped the both of them relax; take her out for the night.

* * *

Naruto couldn't restrain the smile that appeared as he'd looked at the raven-haired female having fun as she'd walked beside him, amethyst-colored eyes looking at the many different lights and attractions near them with something akin to amazement. It looked like she'd really started to enjoy herself, forgetting about her objective and simply taking in the feelings the present brought upon her as they continued further into the place.

However, he'd found himself being forcefully stopped in front of one of the stands, looking toward the decently sized Moogle plushy that they had in the back. It looked rather normal compared to the usual brand, except for the ball on the end of the antenna being bright orange in color instead of the common red.

Nodding, he'd placed some Gold Points on the counter and took three of the darts placed in the nearby bowl, easing himself as he'd thrown them in rapid succession. Both the teenager accompanying him and the man that ran the booth looked rather amazed by the accuracy as they struck the intended targets, causing them to explode.

Grumbling, the man had handed over the Moogle to her as she'd jumped with high amounts of joy; "Yes!"

Yuffie hadn't thought about it as she'd hugged the seventeen-year old, blushing slightly as he'd replied to her earlier statement, "Yeah, your welcome."

Silence.

It remained for the next few seconds before the both of them had burst into laughter and started walking down the path for another booth to stop at, both pairs of eyes almost radiating with amusement and joy as they had fun together.

Things had followed along that line of action as he'd continued to beat the different challenges that each set for him, getting the Kisaragi more and more plushies of different variety. Stuffed Chocobo, Leviathan plushy, and many others had found themselves accompanying the Moogle from the start. Hell, it'd reached the point that he'd revealed another trick he'd kept hidden; putting away the additional toys and items into one of the Sealing Scrolls that he'd learned to make from Jiraiya.

She, as he'd expected, had been interested in the strange and unknown branch of the Ninja Arts and had requested that the Namikaze teach her the proper way to utilize it... he'd refused.

Eventually, they had finished moving through the Wonder Square and had finally stopped in the Round Square; the older teenager having proposed the idea of riding the Gondola. After all, it wasn't enough to set off the "motion sickness" that the raven-haired female usually had if it concerned multiple methods of transportation. Boats, Airships, Bikes, they all caused her some level of discomfort and sickness.

Naruto looked back at her, holding her hand as they boarded the ride as the last couple, resting on the bench the second the door had closed and the machine had started moving.

Slowly, the many lights and buildings that had ruined the night sky left the windows line of sight and nothing managed to reach far enough to destroy the view of the stars, the Kisaragi almost mystified by the beautiful scene.

* * *

Yuffie looked toward the blonde as he'd focused on the stars, the lightest blush appearing on her pale face as they continued ascending into the sky. In the beginning, she'd tried to steal Materia from him after she and the rest of AVALANCHE had stopped to rest in the Ghost Square... and she, although she'd probably never admit it at the moment, could honestly say she'd liked the way that things had turned out from that.

Sure, she'd hated the idea of being left behind for the night as the others enjoyed themselves, but the Namikaze had managed to fix that little problem for her!

Giggling at the calm and relaxed expression that appeared on the seventeen-year old's face, the raven looked leaned her head against his shoulder and allowed herself to feel the same way as they both looked out the window of the Gondola.

Peaceful.

Smiling, Yuffie recognized the little feeling bubbling in her stomach. It hadn't been felt aside from the times she'd found Materia; the feeling of nerves flipping over themselves in barely restrained joy at being close to something she'd liked.

There, she'd finally managed to admit it to herself...! She liked him!

Him having extensive training in the Ninja Arts only managed to help that certain feeling along, as they had something in common because of it. He, although not quite nearly on the same level as her, also happened to enjoy the prescence of the magical orbs created by compressed Mako.

Carefully, she looked toward him and questioned, "Uh... Naruto, could I ask you something?"

Her companion for the night looked back at her in confusion, his eyebrow raising to silently ask the question he'd had in mind at that point.

Yuffie hesitated for the briefest second before she'd finally blurted out the one thing she'd been thinking about before they had started enjoying themselves at the Wonder Square; "Eh. Could you, I don't know, think about joining AVALANCHE? Please?"

* * *

Naruto, on the other hand, had pondered the answer he'd provide the second he'd heard "joining" as he'd quickly connected the dots from there. On one hand, he'd have the chance to help the survival of the Planet alongside makings friends during the journey and on the other hand, he'd have to reveal himself to the world.

Ninja Instinct versus the Heart. Silence had remained between them for several minutes as the battle fought on, but one of the sides emerged as the victor as he'd quietly answered; "Sure."

He'd never quite been the type of person to rely on the instinct trained into him by both the Ninja Academy and the Toad Sannin if the Heart had been involved, and many knew that for the things he'd managed to accomplish in the early days. Beating Neji Hyuuga, defeating Shukaku the One-Tailed Bijuu, learning the Rasengan, bringing back the Hokage, becoming the Apprentice of one of the most feared Shinobi in history... few could match that sort of record.

Inwardly, the Namikaze had laughed as he'd realized the reason that he'd accepted the proposal to begin with; he'd honestly liked Yuffie Kisaragi.

It wasn't something too strong, just the ordinary crush that could have been broken rather easily. But, just that had been enough to convince him into joining the unlikely team of misfits, as the Heart told him to pursue the raven-haired female and learn more about her.

After all, things could work out in the end, right?

Godo must have been laughing himself to sleep, correct by that thought from earlier.

* * *

So... I've been thinking about creating three completely different stories, with three different pairings. Aerith Gainsborough, Tifa Lockhart, and Yuffie Kisaragi. I've already created the first pairing in the Amaterasu Materia fiction, I've finished the prologue for second pairing although I'm considering editing or rewriting it, and the third pairing has just been covered in this fiction.

Anyway, don't forget to review and I hope that ya' enjoyed the prologue!

_Forever In the Background,_

_Outkast000_


	2. Chapter One

Disclaimer; I don't own Naruto or Final Fantasy VII...

Anyways, I'm here to answer two or three of the reviews that I've noticed the most in between the seventeen from the first part of the story.

**Iridescent Morality **- Hm... for the first comment, I'm completely understanding that I've used the cliche for the council. However, I've never said that the two have gotten together at that point in time. Sure, they feel something for each other but I find that normal for most teenagers, they can't control the hormones raging inside their bodies. I'm not exactly making that cliche, simply realistic in my point of view. Naruto, out of character? Hello, Fanfiction!

**chm01** - Unfortunately, no. I've lost my muse for that story almost entirely and instead of disowning it, I'm placing it somewhere in the back of my computer for later down the road after I've finished my current two stories.

**Blackholelord **- Course, I've been planning that from the beginning!

By the way, don't forget to review!

* * *

Chapter One

Following the ride on the Gondola, they'd left the area for the night and separated once they had entered the Inn to sleep instead of staying outside until the early hours in the morning. Heh, they'd need the sleep if they planned to expose the fact that he'd agreed to join the AVALANCHE organization or team, whatever they considered themselves.

Tifa Lockhart hadn't questioned the actions of her fellow female and roomate for sake of avoiding the potential headache and had simply resumed resting in the shadows of the bedroom and the Ancient had followed her lead, leaving the raven-haired female to ready herself to sleep for the next few hours. The Uzumaki, on the other hand, found himself without any interferance or somebody thinking about him as he'd slipped into his empty temporary residence and let the depths of sleep embrace him.

Morning arrived relatively fast for the two of them and they'd left the rooms in favor of hanging in the common room the place had built near the front of the building. It seemed that nobody outside of the shinobi and kunoichi had pulled themselves out of bed by that point and that left them as the only individuals in the room for the mean time, leaving the chance for conversation in the atmosphere.

"Naruto-kun! Morning," the Kisaragi tried to act on that particular thought, gretting him as though they'd known each other for several months at the least. Truthfully, it served to amaze him that she'd responded in that manner despite having only met him the night before.

Laughing, he'd waved toward her in response to her greeting. "Hello, Yuffie-chan."

However, the possible conversation that _might_ have started between them had been killed as the other members of AVALANCHE had stumbled into the room, most likely tired because they had only recently roused from their sleep. It'd seem that most of them weren't the morning type and the shinobi couldn't blame them, he'd been the same way before he'd left to start his training as the apprentice of the Gama-Sennin. Hell, following his departure from Konohagakure no Sato, his teacher had never allowed him to sleep till the afternoon.

Barret Wallace, as he'd already assumed, had ordered breakfast from the Inn and started munching down on the poor meal. It didn't seem as though the morning bothered him that much, although that might have been because of the food and not his personality and habits. Cloud Strife leaned back on the wall and constantly tried to appear proffesional in front of the others, pretending to survey the rest of the room for potential enemies despite the fact that they were the only people in there.

Tifa Lockhart, the only other female with the potential to interest him sat in one of the few remaining chairs in the room, trying to relax herself into remaining awake for the rest of the morning. Vincent Valentine didn't appear to have been that bothered by awaking in the early hours of the morning, although the individual attributed that to his training from the Turks.

Cid Highwind, as per his expectations, had already started smoking to assist himself in finishing his morning rituals or whatever type of routine that he'd kept since he'd left the confines of Rocket Town. Nanaki, aka Red XIII, had laid his tired body on the carpet to sleep for several minutes before they left to continue the journey in the effort of saving the Planet.

Finally... Aerith Gainsborough, quite the sweet women that didn't appear capable of harming the ugliest of creatures, seemed rather cheerful and content as though the problems they faced hadn't taken their toll on her personality. Heh, almost too amusing that the morning could perform something that the fate of the world couldn't by subduing her personality to relatively small levels.

Still, despite the state of exhaustion that plagued their bodies for the moment, he'd noticed the curiosity that fueled their thoughts as they looked toward him... hm, maybe they'd heard his greeting for his female companion for last night?

"Hey, the name's Naruto if your wondering. Anyways, per the request of my friend here, I'd like to join," the blonde commented toward the seven different people in front of him, not in the least surprised by the confused expressions they wore. Even Cloud.

It brought the amusement from earlier towards the front of his mind. Honestly! "AVALANCHE."

Okay. Maybe that hadn't been the best thing to say in front of them, taking note of the suspicion they'd felt and the annoyance that radiated from some of them. Er, that meant they hadn't planned for Yuffie to release information about them or thought he'd worked for Shinra Electric Power Company.

Inwardly, the Uzumaki had scoffed at the idea of working for the prideful bastards that ran the company and the idiots that made the mistake of doing just that. He'd never take the chance of risking the safety of the world in favor of making money, that wasn't the right course of action to follow and he'd understood why AVALANCHE had originally planned to destroy the Reactors.

But, the shinobi had pushed that thought aside as the darkly-skinned man had stepped forward and took in his appearance, probably attempting to read his worth on the battlefield or something along that line of thought. In the end, he'd passed the initial examination as the man had stepped backwards once or twice. "So, the brat invited ya' to join my crew. Huh?"

Naruto had the impression that the ex-SOLDIER had been the leader of the ragtag bunch of people, and figured that the man in front of him assumed himself as the leader instead of his fellow blonde. Funny.

"I suppose that ya' could say that. Actually, Yuffie-chan requested that I join, _last night_."

Kami, the urge to laugh appeared as he'd looked at the expressions of the older bunch as they'd interpreted the set of words in the incorrect fashion... they probably thought they had slept together and the teenager had asked him during the aftermath of the transpiring event or something. Heh, he'd leave that assumption completely untouched as it'd supply him entertainment in the future, that much the shinobi didn't doubt in the slightest.

Barrest, though. It seemed as though he'd struggled to reply following that commentary. "Um. A-alright? J-just- eh, what the hell. I don't care. Just don't fuckin' drag us down, blondie."

My, that couldn't have been the best insult running around in his head or he'd start thinking the darkly-skinned man wasn't that creative. In his opinion, that probably wasn't that far away from the truth. Seriously, who in their mind would name the group that they planned to found something like AVALANCHE?

Akatsuki wasn't that much better by comparison, but that still beat the basic name by miles. Heh, preferring the name of the organization that tried killing him for his tenant as compared to the one that he'd work for and fight alongside for the next few days or months.

Saving the Planet? It'd probably prove itself to require the second case, as nobody could save the world in the matter of several days. It just wasn't possible, although that likely wasn't the case for the Six-Paths Sage. Course, that wasn't exactly fair to compare the ordinary people to one of the strongest people that ever had the privilege of existing, borderline God-like in abilities.

Chuckling, the Uzumaki disregarded that thought and looked toward the seven different individuals in front of him, eight if he'd counted the raven-haired female that sat in the chair beside him. Finally, he'd taken notice of something strange... something that betrayed his senses from last night.

"Hey, wasn't there the nine of you?" In turn, they had looked for the other newly inducted member of the team; Cait Sith and managed to reach the startling conclusion that the feline had betrayed them as they'd noticed the disappearance of the Keystone.

* * *

Naruto hadn't expected the next few events that had transpired and probably wouldn't consider them in most cases, but he'd quickly learned that sometimes the most unexpected situation could present themselves in this new dimension. Especially if that situation tended to concern the AVALANCHE organization.

Cait Sith, the one that felt mostly of mental energies, had betrayed the bunch of companions and intentionally placed the Keystone into the hands of the Shinra Electric Power Company. In the end, the Turks had nearly six or seven hours of distance ahead of them and that meant they'd need to rush and forget about the occasional break here and there to recover that lost distance.

Truthfully, he'd almost pitied the strange and unknown being as he'd or it'd been assaulted by the unhappy females of the bunch, as they were looking forward to resting along the way. He'd felt surprised that the feline didn't possess bruises from the beating he'd received, as though the entire thing hadn't happened in the first place!

Still, the smallest member of the team had continued traveling with them despite the feeling of betrayal that lurked inside the thoughts of everybody in AVALANCHE, aside from the one that had caused the feeling and the one that had joined the previous morning. ie, Cait Sith and him.

It seemed that the self-appointed leader of the ragtag team had finally called for them to rest not that far away from the Temple of the Ancients... probably several hundred yards at the very most, and that left out the potential of the Materia being hidden at the bottom of the building. Barret figured that the Turks wouldn't risk entering the place in the middle of the night, unknowing of the possible threats that roamed the hallways of the long ancient construct.

Naruto, as per the norm, had propped himself against one of the many trees that filled the area to relax with his eyes closed and hoping to fall asleep at some point in the near future. If he'd bothered thinking about the events ahead of him and the rest of AVALANCHE, he'd need as much rest as he'd have the chance of getting. Sephiroth wasn't one of the strongest warriors in the world for show, as he'd recalled hearing tales of the destruction brought about by the silver-haired man during the war between the Shinra Electric Power Company and Wutai.

However, he'd found that train of thought interrupted by the sound of somebody sitting in front of him judging by the direction the sound had originated and taking the scent into consideration, the mysterious person was the brunette of the team. Smiling, the Uzumaki nodded toward his new teammate in greeting, somewhat surprising her as proven by the slight widening of the eyes.

"Aerith-san," the shinobi had commented faintly, "May I know the reason for the sudden company?"

She, in reply, couldn't help the sudden burst of giggles that escaped her mouth. "I'm curious, Naruto-kun."

Oh, somebody interested in knowing something about him, then? It hadn't occurred to him that one of the AVALANCHE members would've entertained the idea of speaking with him on personal matters, or taking the moment to question him about himself. No, they were far too busy stressing over the fate of the world, although the individual couldn't exactly fault them on that.

Humming, he'd gestured for the female to continue her commentary and ask her question instead of beating around the bush in embarrassment... the Cetra didn't disappoint him.

"I was just questioning your reason for joining, that's all." Ah, he'd figured she'd ask something personal about him or something that he'd rather not speak about. It didn't escape the realm of possibilities that the Planet had warned the female of his unnatural feel, betraying the fact that he'd never been born from the Lifestream and instead came from another dimension.

Still, the brunette seemed patient as he'd mentally sorted his answer to her unexpected question, gathering his thoughts to recall every detail of his decision. "I suppose that I sympathize with your intentions; saving the Planet from destruction at the hands of one of the strongest people to exist... plus, it helps that your friend and my newest interest asked for me to join or to entertain the idea at the least."

Heh, the fact that her father had asked that of him also managed to assist in his final choice on the matter and his subsequent entrance into AVALANCHE... regardless, they were quite the interesting bunch of people that reminded him of his old friends to varying degrees.

"So, that everything?" the Uzumaki had asked in return, looking toward the Gainsborough to wait for her inevitable response.

Instead of replying verbally, she'd simply giggled and nodded as she'd stood and left the area to locate the closest of her friends in the organization; Cloud Strife. In the end, the man had yawned lightly and finally succumbed to his tired body and the knowledge that he'd probably find himself in the middle of the battlefield in the next twelve or fourteen hours.

* * *

Morning, as before, had come too early and he'd found himself roused by the sunlight that filtered through the canopy of trees and bothering his eyesight. Frowning, the individual squinted in the attempt of seeing and blocking the sunlight at the same time, finding that helpful as he'd surveyed the area for the others.

Good, nobody had been dragged off in the middle of the night by one of their enemies or attacked by the local wildlife... although the youngest female of the group wasn't with the others, but he'd felt her presence within the radius of twenty-five yards.

"Morning!" came the voice of the excited kunoichi, causing him to spin around to look toward her in surprise.

It seemed that she had the ability to sneak up on him, something that few could brag about being able to do. Heh, being the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi no Kitsune had perks, including the enhanced senses that normally prevented him from being ambushed most of the time.

Er, now that he'd thought about that particular trait, he'd somewhat understood the reason that the raven-haired female could work around his senses. Her scent, strangely, wasn't that easy to pinpoint because of the fact that it wasn't as strong as the others or compared to normal people. Interesting. "Morning, Yuffie-chan."

* * *

Yuffie Kisaragi hadn't had the need for much sleep that time and had awoken far before the others in AVALANCHE, leaving the area for the moment to survey the landscape and enjoy the view. It wasn't something that she'd indulged in that often as she'd normally preferred stealing the Materia of others, or hanging out with the rest of the team as they were her friends.

Still, on the days that she'd found herself alone and without any unsuspecting victims to relieve of their Materia, she'd simply wandered the area to enjoy the sights that the landscape had offered. Cities didn't have that much to enjoy compared to most of the smaller settlements or the wilderness, and she'd learned that over the months that she'd spent traveling the planet.

Her hands felt the coarse texture of the many trees that occupied most of her eyesight, finding pleasure from the way that it scratched against the surface of her palms. It... reminded her of her birthplace in Wutai, almost overcome by the resulting feeling of homesickness that accompanied the thought.

She'd missed her home since the first few days following her departure and the feeling hadn't faded over the span of several months, although she'd learned to surpress the emotion to stop bothering her on the battlefield or otherwise. Unfortunately, the mental restraints always managed to break at the simplest of reminders, such as the texture of the bark and the peaceful atmosphere that the forest had offered.

"I wonder how my old man's doing, he's not getting any younger," the raven-haired woman felt the urge to giggle at her nickname for her father, as it always served to annoy him in the past. He'd probably kill her if he'd heard her saying that, but she'd never bothered to care.

Sighing, she'd leaned against one of the many trees in the vicinity to concentrate on her thoughts instead of walking around mindlessly and possibly finding herself lost in the matter of minutes.

It had been almost two days since the induction of their newest teammate and her date with him the night prior, and few things had happened between them. It wasn't her fault that she'd never tried anything, things kept happening and stealing her attention from trying to learn about him. Worse, that feeling in the pit of her stomach kept bothering her at the most random times, although usually if she'd caught sight of him doing something particularly physical.

Like... when they had to fight that pack of Fiends and he'd ripped through the forehead of one of them with his kunai. God, how she'd noticed the muscles in his arm tense with the strain of pushing the weaponry through the protection of the skull, and the way he'd looked back at her afterward.

Blinking, she'd restrained that sort of thinking before she'd found her thoughts roaming the darker and lustful side of things. It'd happened in the past and she'd prefer to keep that from happening another time, as she'd almost been caught by Red XIII. My, that had been embarrassing for her and especially after he'd inquired about the difference in her scent.

It would've killed her if her crush noticed the difference, too. Luckily, the blonde had been too busy talking with one of the other members of AVALANCHE at the time and hadn't bothered to notice or question her.

Yuffie managed to sort her thoughts after that series of amusing memories, pushing off the plant life and pausing as her acute hearing had noticed sounds coming from the direction of their temporary campsite. Giggling, the kunoichi raced toward her destination and stopped rather abruptly behind her crush, not in the slightest surprised that he'd been the second one to awaken.

"Morning!" she'd blurted happily, almost beaming with the emotion as she'd smiled toward the Uzumaki.

However, she'd felt herself blushing as he'd replied to her with the same type of greeting, although with the inclusion of her name and her favored honorific... at least coming from him, anyway. Her smile had turned shy almost as she'd looked away from him and tried to control the blood rushing to her cheeks. It wasn't helping.

"So, we're fighting the Turks, huh?" she'd heard the blonde question, looking toward her to see her response.

She, in turn, looked further into the opposite direction to prevent her blush from being spotted and chose to respond. "Yeah."

* * *

Naruto couldn't help except notice the lacking of her usual persona in that response, sounding almost too shy and not confident instead of the usual cocky and prideful tone that he'd found somewhat attractive and amusing... had something happened while he'd spent the last few hours sleeping?

Shrugging, he'd watched patiently as the others had roused from their sleep and went through the usual morning routine, and planned to leave within the next thirty or forty minutes. Good. It'd taken several minutes, but they'd reached the clearing in which the Temple had occupied for the last millennium.

Naruto had to admit that he'd felt amazed by the architecture of the temple, the size of the building easily surpassing that of the forest that occupied the surrounding area. It almost reminded him of the architecture of his people, as they were both somewhat lacking compared to modern times.

Grinning, he'd followed behind the rest of AVALANCHE as they'd walked toward the building in question, taking notice of the way that the ex-SOLDIER seemed hesitant.

Hm, perhaps his fellow blonde had connections to Sephiroth outside of the similar past in occupation? Maybe. If he'd trusted the opinion of his senses, the man in question had some type of unidentified energy in his system. Foreign.

In order to connect him to Jenova's child, he'd need to sense the signature of the very person to compare the similarities and the differences.

Slowly, they'd ascended the stairway of the Temple of the Ancients to head toward the entrance, ignoring the feeling of trepidation that accompanied his thoughts. "I'm not that thrilled 'bout being sent in there, honestly."

Interestingly, it seemed that everybody else in AVALANCHE had shared that particular feeling short of Aerith Gainsborough herself, the only person that seemed happy about being in there. It'd probably involved the fact that her ancestors had built the place... of course, that was running from pure speculation on his part.

"It doesn't matter," came the comment of the ex-SOLDIER near the front of the bunch, causing the Uzumaki's right eye to start twitching as he'd felt annoyed.

Note; he'd probably never enjoy having to speak with Cloud until he'd learned to actually respect people, and to put something positive into his tone of voice. In the two days that he'd known the man, he'd only participated for the sake of his friendship with the former bartender; Tifa Lockhart, or the idea of money.

Sighing, they'd passed through the entrance of the building to descend into the unknown territory of the Ancients, the extinct race of people that had the ability to speak with the Planet.

* * *

So... that's the next chapter. I hope that ya' enjoyed the update!

_Forever in the Background,_

_Outkast000_


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